1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to containers for shipping and storing articles which require protection during transit. More particularly, the present invention relates to containers for shipping and storing articles which require protection during transit, wherein a foldable insert is used to surround the article and suspend the article within a protective outer shell.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
It is known to ship articles in generally parallelepiped containers constructed from a foldable material such as corrugated paperboard, laminated paperboard, paperboard, or the like. It is also known to utilize dunnage for the purpose of inhibiting shifting of the article within the container during transit, which such shifting may lead to undesirable damage to the article. In the case of electronic and other sensitive articles, such as, for example, after-market automotive radiators, damage to the article during transit may require that the article be scrapped, thereby leading to waste and increased cost of manufacturing and distribution.
Moreover, many articles have projections or other protuberances which are particularly susceptible to damage during transit. For example, aftermarket automotive radiators include valves, inlet and outlet fixtures which extend from the main body of the radiator. Shifting of the radiator within its container may result in these valves, fixtures, etc., breaking off entirely, being bent beyond use or otherwise becoming damaged, even though the main body of the radiator remains undamaged. In such circumstances, it is typical that the entire radiator is scrapped, even though only the valve, fixture, etc., was damaged. This leads to excessive waste and increased costs of production.